Texans join uprising against RNC rules change

Republicans from Texas are leading a mutiny at their national nominating convention in Tampa and fighting proposed rule changes that they say amount to a power grab by entrenched GOP operatives at the expense of grassroots activism.

The issue could explode in a floor fight Tuesday just as Republicans get ready to formally name Mitt Romney their presidential nominee. The dispute over the new delegate selection proposal advanced by Romney supporters threatens to shine a spotlight on the schism during a week meant to promote party unity.

The proposed change is aimed at muting the power of insurgent candidates like Ron Paul by effectively allowing presidential nominees to choose what delegates represent them at national conventions. Delegates who are allocated to a presidential candidate would only be certified if they had been approved by the presidential candidate for whom they are bound to vote.

Texans, who select their delegates through a voting process that often elevates grassroots activists, say the change is an affront to the Lone Star State.

“We believe in Texas as a principle that no presidential candidate nor the RNC should be able to tell Texas who can or cannot be a delegate to the national convention,” said Butch Davis, a Lone Star State representative on the RNC rules committee. “It’s not a plain vanilla political fight. It’s a fundamental principle that we’re arguing for.”

“We won’t allow this control by Republican candidate to take place,” Davis added.

Texas has been joined by representatives from Iowa, Louisiana, Virginia and other states in trying to fend off the rules. They have advanced a “minority report” that would strip out the delegate disavowal provision, but it only can come to a vote if at least 25 percent of the rules committee members _ or 29 people _ support it.

Republicans who want the rule change, including Mississippi’s Henry Barbour and others who are worried about the prospect of a damaging, public battle have been trying to peel off minority report backers. An e-mail sent to rules committee members Sunday night implored Texans, Virginians and other minority report advocates to stand down.

But that won’t happen, vowed Melinda Fredricks, the Texas Republican Party vice-chairwoman. In a letter to rules committee members Sunday night, Fredricks said Texas would stand its ground.

“The Texas delegation considers the new rule . . . an unacceptable infringement on our right to freely choose our delegates to the national convention,” she told the panel. “We realize not every state selects its delegates in the same manner we do, and perhaps you find it hard to understand what has us so worked up. Frankly, we find it hard to understand how your delegations would be willing to give away their rights.”

Paul’s allies were taking advantage of a one-day delay of convention events spurred by tropical storm Isaac to drum up support.
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said the decision to push the rules change “to get rid of rogue delegates” is only revving up Paul’s supporters and undoing gains from Romney’s decision to tap Paul Ryan to be vice president.

“I have yet to encounter anyone who thinks this is a good idea,” he said.

“If you wanted to motivate your base, you did that when you chose Paul Ryan as vice president,” Patterson said, but now conservative delegates are angry.

“You undo it when you try to ramrod this through,” he said. “This is something Hugo Chavez would do.”

Bruce Bond, an alternate delegate from Sugar Land, Texas, who now backs Romney, said he was “really concerned about this takeover of the rules” and said it could backfire on Romney and Republican leadership.

“It concerns me that (some rules committee members are) just falling in line with what Romney wants,” he added. “We ought to stand on our base principles. What he’s doing is forcing those of us who are for him to vote with the Ron Paul people.”

Party leaders from other states opposing the change warned delegates that the proposal would allow GOP insiders to hand-select delegates and reward top donors, instead of allowing the seats to be filled by rank-and-file members.